Tag: 2016

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Nigerian government on securing the release of girls who have been abducted by Boko Haram.

    James Duddridge

    We regularly raise the issue of abducted girls, and indeed everyone abducted by Boko Haram, with the Nigerian government at the highest levels. Most recently the Foreign Secretary reiterated UK support for Nigeria’s efforts to tackle Boko Haram, when he met President Buhari in Abuja in May.

    We are providing a substantial and increasing package of intelligence, military and development support to Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram including support to those targeted by its indiscriminate campaign of violence, and assistance to find those who are missing.

  • Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ouseley on 2016-07-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Keen of Elie on 18 July (HL948 and HL949), how many judges in HM Courts and Tribunals service who are over 50 years of age are from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

    Lord Keen of Elie

    The Government recognises that judges from a Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME) background are under-represented in the judiciary in England and Wales when compared with the general population. We are committed to continue working with the judiciary and all others concerned to make sure that, while appointments will always be made on merit, the pool of candidates is as diverse as possible.

    On average over the last 5 years, 11 per cent of candidates recommended for judicial appointment were from BAME groups. Meanwhile, 10 per cent of appointed judges aged over 50 were from BAME backgrounds on 1 April 2015.

    The Government is committed to working with other members of the Judicial Diversity Forum, including the Judicial Appointments Commission, the judiciary and the legal professions, to explore ways of increasing the percentage of judges from under-represented groups, including individuals from a BAME background, whilst continuing to safeguard the fundamental principle of appointment on merit. The Forum is considering the feasibility of proposals around pre-application training. The Government fully supports such work and is strongly committed to the judicial diversity agenda.

  • David Nuttall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Nuttall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Nuttall on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of NHS treatment of craniosynostosis; and if he will take steps to increase training and awareness of craniosynostosis amongst NHS professionals.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Department has made no assessment of the effectiveness of National Health Service treatment of craniosynostosis. All paediatricians are trained to recognise abnormality as part of general training up to Membership of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (MRCPCH) level.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-12-21.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Health Education England to ensure that the number of chiropody and podiatry student commissions for 2016–17 is sufficient to meet demand.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Health Education England (HEE) has been established to ensure the National Health Service has access to the right numbers of staff, at the right time and with the right skills. In doing so, HEE works with key external stakeholders to develop its National Workforce Plan for England which sets out the number of training places it will commission in the year ahead.

    HEE will formally publish the 2016-17 National Workforce Plan for England in January 2016. In both 2014/15 and 2015/16, HEE commissioned 362 training places in Podiatry and Chiropody across England, maintaining the current supply.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-01-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the suitability of conditions at immigration detention units at airports in the UK.

    Lord Bates

    The regulation of safety arrangements in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) is through the Detention Centre Rules 2001, the Operating Standards for IRCs, Detention Services Orders relating to security arrangements and the relevant sections of the contracts and service level agreements relating to security. Each IRC has a Home Office Immigration Enforcement Manager to monitor ongoing service provision.

    Independent scrutiny is an important part of assurance that our removal centres are safe, secure and humane. Assessments of IRCs and holding rooms are published by Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCIP) and in the annual reports of Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB).

    Home Office service improvement plans contribute to delivering continuing improvement of services in response to independent recommendations. Service improvement plans in response to HMCIP inspection reports have been publicly available on the HMCIP website for all reports published after 1 April 2015.

    On 9 February 2015 my Right Honourable Friend, the Home Secretary, announced an independent review of the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons by Stephen Shaw, which included consideration of the conditions at IRCs and airport holding rooms. The Government’s position on the review was set out in the Written Ministerial Statement laid on 14 January 2016.

    Current policy is clear that a number of groups of individuals, including pregnant women, the elderly, victims of torture and the mentally ill, should be detained only in very exceptional circumstances. The Government accepts Stephen Shaw’s recommendations that there should be a wider definition of those at risk, and will introduce a new “adult at risk” concept into decision-making on immigration detention, with a clear presumption that people who are at risk should not be detained, building on the existing legal framework.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what the Commission’s policy is on the allocation of service charges paid by card to (a) permanent and (b) contracted canteen and hospitality staff working on the parliamentary estate.

    Tom Brake

    Service charges paid by debit and credit cards are passed on to catering staff employed by the House of Commons in addition to their wages through the House of Commons payroll system. They are shared equally amongst staff working on a particular day in a given venue.

    Agency (contracted) workers do not receive service charge amounts as there is no mechanism for these to be paid to the individual as the agencies are paid separately to the House of Commons payroll system.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) female HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) staff that work part-time and (b) other HCMTS staff with caring responsibilities will not be negatively affected by planned court and tribunal closures.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Following the closure announcement HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) began a period of staff consultation which includes discussions between all those affected and their management teams. Management teams will support staff in identifying suitable redeployment options taking into account their individual needs.

  • Mark Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Williams – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will raise with the Moroccan ambassador to the UK the death of Brahim Saika in Gulemin police station on 15 April 2016.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The British Embassy in Rabat raised the case of Mr Brahim Saika with Morocco’s National Human Rights Commission, CNDH, on 18 April 2016. The Commission had been following the case closely and is preparing its report on his detention and death. We will consider any further action in the light of the Commission’s report.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 11 March 2016 to Question 29747, whether any of the correspondence cited in the oral contribution of the Lord Patel on 24 February 2015 had been given unredacted to concurrently serving members of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority executive.

    Jane Ellison

    The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that wider disclosure of the content of the personal email exchange between Professor Grifo and a member of the expert panel convened by the Authority would not breach patient confidentiality. The HFEA has previously advised that the relevant expert panel member contacted Professor Grifo in a personal capacity following the third Scientific Review of the safety and efficacy of methods to avoid mitochondrial disease in 2014.

    The HFEA has also advised that the information in question was provided in confidence to the expert panel convened by the Authority. Members of the HFEA Executive who provided administrative support to the work of the panel have seen this information.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-07-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to participate in the conference about the attacks on Yazidis, Christians and others by ISIS organised by the US State Department in Washington DC on 29 July; if so, who will represent them and whether whilst attending that conference they will explain why they have not supported the genocide declarations passed by the House of Commons and the US Congress.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The UK will attend the State Department Consultation on Threats to Religious and Ethnic Minorities under Daesh on 28 and 29 July. It will be represented by a senior official from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The consultation will be used to discuss what countries are doing to protect minorities under Daesh and what more can be done. As the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson) made clear during his visit to Washington on 21 July, the Government is fully committed to working with international partners to ensure Daesh is held to account for its crimes.